Insights Into Neurodivergence

Brittney Feit, a Nationally Certified School Psychologist (NCSP), brings extensive experience supporting students across diverse age ranges, including those with developmental disabilities spanning from Pre-K through 12th grade, as well as individuals aged 18-21. In this transcript of the interview conducted with Brittney, we dive deeply into understanding developmental disabilities in teenagers. This discussion provides strategies for identifying and assessing the unique needs and discusses practical approaches to fostering inclusion and accessibility for neurodivergent individuals.

What are some common developmental disabilities that may manifest or become more apparent during the teenage years and how do they impact teenagers' social, emotional, and cognitive development?

If you think about development, these are conditions/disorders/neurotypes that start when you're either born or as you're developing. So it's not that it's coming about when you're a teenager, but what could happen is that you might not get diagnosed until you're a teenager or it might not impact your schooling until you're a teenager. 

ADHD: For example, we have a lot of students who had ADHD from a very young age but they found ways to get through school, and it wasn't something that impacted them until they had to take a very long test which made it harder for them to concentrate during that or, certain demands within highschool like the demand to sit still for a long period. 

Autism: We’ve found more people are getting diagnosed with autism later on in life, not because they weren't autistic when they were younger, but because they were learning ways to mask, which is when an individual does certain things to appear neurotypical. This results in people acting and socializing in a certain way. So someone with autism who is masking might copy what someone else is doing. It's not necessarily what they naturally want to do, but they're trying to fit in. However, later on in life, they might develop anxiety or depression because they feel a constant need to try to maintain a certain way lifestyle. Ultimately, when they reach out for help, they discover through an assessment, that they're on the spectrum. 

Other than that, there are a lot of mental health disorders that arise in teenagers. The important thing to remember is that teenagers' brains aren’t fully developed yet. The frontal lobe isn’t even fully developed until around the age of 23, so a lot can come about with the influx of hormones and other reasons.

Comorbidity:

it's important to remember individuals can have comorbidities, which is when a person has co-occurring disabilities or mental health disorders. For example, there might be someone with autism and OCD, or ADHD and autism, which is common. Also, some individuals don’t have a developmental disorder but have multiple mental health disorders. For example, an individual might have bipolar disorder and also have some level of either anxiety or PTSD.

What steps have you (and educators in general) taken to create an inclusive and supportive learning environment for teenagers with developmental disabilities?

I work for a special education school, so by its nature the entire population has developmental disabilities. So people might think, “Oh, that's not very inclusive” but we're creating an environment of acceptance and a tailor-made curriculum for these students. We are a community-based program, meaning we have community partnerships such as Zumba studios, CrossFit, cooking classes, and several other activities.

Also, students have internships, where they work for around four hours a week. Within these internships, we teach our students daily living skills as they explore different communities. For example, we teach them banking. taking the subway and, crossing the street safely, etc. So, we have some students who are non-speaking and they use an AAC device. We have other students who are working in many industries after graduating from our school. We keep in mind to make sure our students have all the tools they need to be in a neurotypical community, without pushing them into fitting in a certain mold within the community. We also strive to educate the neurotypical community to understand how amazing our students are and what they can do, instead of assuming what neurodivergent individuals can’t do you. The idea until you've seen that they can't do it, you have to assume that they can.

I take a neurodiversity-affirming approach to my work, meaning I never tell a student to stop stemming, which is the repetitive movements individuals might carry out. I always allow students to take breaks whenever they need to, and present information in more than one way. For example, I’ll give information verbally, written, and visually as well. I also make sure the environment is not an overly sensory experience, meaning there aren’t too many things happening at once. The key is being aware of what is needed for that particular group of students.

How can teachers help prepare teenagers with developmental disabilities for greater independence and self-advocacy in adulthood?

It’s important to teach students to speak up in certain situations, to ensure they feel comfortable. Especially when they’re at work, we don't have control over what their employer is doing, so we make sure to teach the students to self-advocate for themselves to their supervisors. On, a personal level, I started a virtual neurodiversity-affirming yoga studio. We make sure students are getting what they need, not expecting what they’re doing to look a certain way. 

For example, in a yoga class, there is an expectation for everyone to perform the yoga pose the same way, it needs to be quiet, there should be essential oils, etc. But with students that I'm working with, they’re walking, pacing behind the yoga mats, stimming etc. It’s important to provide extra structure to meet their expectations and to ensure they’re comfortable, instead of meeting the expectations of a neurotypical community. We have to let go of what we as neurotypical people expect, by breaking down those norms and asking ourselves, “Does it really have to be that way? Or can we make sure that it's more accessible in these ways?”

The earlier a student has access to the language that would help them self-advocate, the better. So, it doesn't have to be that they wait until they're in high school. Certainly, high school is a good time to get serious about it. When a student in their adolescence starts to understand their diagnosis, or diagnoses, it can be empowering because they're able to express what they need in the community. 

I also support what we call sexual wellness and healthy relationships with my students. I teach the fundamental elements of sexual health and what it’s like to be in a healthy relationship, including gender identity and gender expression. I think a lot of people assume that people with neurodevelopmental disabilities might not be thinking about relationships or we might assume that sexual wellness is not something they want to partake in. However, the majority of my students are interested in having a romantic relationship, but it's important that they know how to protect themselves. Some students aren’t completely informed on consent, and there could be situations where they're taken advantage of. Considering everything, it’s important to understand what the student needs, and to break down any bias that we might have, and to properly set up neurodivergent individuals for their lives.